Once Broken, Considered Sold
by Lianna-snow
Summary: Set when Alexis is just about to head off to college. Rick and Kate have broken up but fate throws them back together with a different tune. rated T for some freedom when it counts. angst for some time. but will lighten up. please give it a try.
1. Chapter 1 Tears

Once Broken, Considered Sold-1

Hey everyone! I was reading Daphnebeauty's story (Icarus) and I had an inspiration to write this. She was really awesome to give me permission to use it, so thank you! It's gonna be angsty for a bit:D But it should lighten up after a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Characters belong to Andrew Marlowe. I'm just borrowing them to play for a while.

{Tears}

The suns rays penetrated the dark room and shone on her face, effectively waking the girl up. Her long locks fell over her eyes and she gently blew under them to make them flip up back where they belonged.

After a glance at the alarm clock, she groaned at the notice that she was up slightly later than usual and she might be late for school. With a heavy sigh, she swung her legs out of the bed and changed. She noticed different arrangement of stuffed toys on her shelf and concluded that her dad must have changed some stuff while she was away.

She softly pushed one of the bedroom doors open as she made her way to the kitchen.

'No way. He still wasn't home yet? I told him I would have reached home by 11pm and talk to him about my trip the next day.'She frowned slightly and shut the door, before continuing to head to the kitchen. Although, what she saw there left her relieved and surprised at the same time. Richard Castle was lying on the couch, completely knocked out and holding an empty wine bottle in his hand.

"Oh Dad, what happened to you this time?" Alexis Castle sighed and mumbled under her breath as she shook her sleeping father gently.

"Kate...why..." she could hear him murmur slightly as she turned him over. She got slightly pissed and decided for a revenge attempt held from when she was 10. Alexis grinned to herself as she dipped a towel in icy cold water and lay it out next to the couch.

Following that, she quickly spun her father in a way that made him fall on the towel with a bump. She quickly then wrapped his body in the dripping towel. That effectively woke him up.

"Alexis!" he paused for dramatic effect,"Well done. Just like a Castle that I'm proud to call you as. How was the trip? You still look the same after two months. That's good."

In fact, it was always a wonder to discover that Richard Castle's speech was not deterred when he had a hangover.

"Dad, what happened to you? Are you alright?" Alexis remained serious as ever as she pushed away all her questions about her father.

"oh it's nothing for you to worry about." he said dismissively.

"It's Kate, isn't it?" When she received no response, she sat down beside him and hugged her father tightly. "It's okay dad. Everything will work out. I won't leave you."

"I will hold you to that on the day you get married, and when you go to college in a few days. There will be no mercy." Rick chuckled and tried to lighten up his daughter's mood. Alexis knew that and graced him with a small smile, before shooing him to take a shower and getting breakfast ready for the both of them.

'Things seemed to be going so well between them. Why did it suddenly end? It had to have been Kate. I mean, she has always pushed my dad away, why should it stop now?' Alexis thought. 'wait, I can't keep blaming her for whatever happened between them. Right now, I need to make sure my dad is alright and I don't starve to death.' she turned to the frying pan as her eggs began to fry.

Alexis worriedly left the house about 10 minutes after eating and starting to repack for when she leaves for college in a few days. It was a sad feeling, to just come home and realize that she has to leave again. It always made her feel sad for her father, whom she thought was leaving in good hands. When, his relationship fell apart with Kate while she was gone, and Martha staying at her boyfriend's house more often than not, and she was not there. She wanted to cry, but she stood up and left the house soon after making a packing list.

She needed a strong coffee. The thought brought a smile to her face, she had no idea where she picked up that habit but after coming back from a two-month trip to England, she had a strong craving for, coffee, of all things. So she sent a text to her dad, in case he needed a cup, where she was headed.

She lined up at one of the more popular coffee shops in town and waited patiently in line. Taking one or two seconds to glance at her watch every few minutes. Every time she looked down, her long fringe would cover her face and she would have to shake her head to toss them back. ' I really need a haircut...' she thought.

Then, all of a sudden, a tall girl with brown hair walked back from in front of her, after getting her coffee, and because she had a familiar stance, Alexis followed her with her eyes, trying to recognize her. And then it clicked when she saw the woman stop in front a guy and pass him a cup of coffee, before kissing him on the cheek.

Kate Beckett.

She stepped out of the queue, her anger taking over her usually calm and reasonable mind, her coffee craving forgotten, as she sucked in a breath and confidently walked up to the woman who broke her dad's heart. She liked Kate, she really did. But her dad was her dad and she loved him more.

"Detective Beckett. Nice to see you here. " She spoke with a slight waver in her voice but with conviction and determination.

"Alexis! Wow, you have grown since I last saw you. I didn't think you liked coffee, I was wrong." Kate shielded her embarrassment and surprise quite well but she could tell from the young girl's tone that she knew.

"and I didn't know you were the kind of person that will break my father's heart. I was wrong too." she said, with newfound fury in her eyes, as she noticed Beckett's date looking a bit unnerved.

Kate noticed the fire in the girl's eyes and turned to the man next to her and quietly told him to leave as she noticed the whole coffee shop had grown suspiciously silent.

The bell jingled behind her and she heard a voice that she thought she would never hear again.

"Alexis! I called you twice and you didn't answer my texts so I got worried." Kate froze and willed herself not to cry with her back to him. While Alexis visibly softened at the sight of her father and smiled apologetically, waiting for him to notice who she was talking to. It was easy to see the minute, second, moment, when he figured out because he immediately muttered a quick "see you at home" to Alexis, spun around and left as fast as he could.

When Alexis turned back to Kate, she saw a single shiny tear drip down the side of her face, catching a ray of sunlight as it left a glimmering trail before she cut it off by wiping it away. Her heart ached to see her cry since Kate was like family to her, but she knew it was important. And so did Kate. Therefore, it was Kate who made the first move, motioning Alexis to a nearby table.

"If you want to talk, we'd better start soon. This might take a while."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

thats it for now! i shall try to update this as often as i can, though i am juggling a few fanfics and two books at the same time. although, please give me reviews and it would make me happier to know if people are enjoying this. Thanks for reading!

lianna~


	2. Chapter 2 Friction

Once Broken, Considered Sold-2

(Friction)

Hey everyone! Just wanna apologize like MAD for changing the title. I'm really sorry. I just thought it would be a better title than 'In Too Deep' since that was for a darker version. I didn't want to create such a dark one yet, so i had to change it. Sorry for the inconvenience. alright on another note, (~~~) means a flashback:D this will be used for later chapters as well.

Disclaimer••• If I owned castle, i would... probably study even less:P

The silence was killing her. She had to say something. Anything. All she could hear was the gentle pitter patter of the raindrops gently rapping against the glass window. Beckett was used to noisy, no matter how much she said it irritated her.

"He dumped me a month ago." was Beckett's first words on the subject after staring at her coffee for a long time. She wanted to slap herself. What kind of an opening was that?

" What happened?" alexis asked, trying to approach the topic slightly more gentle than before. Although she wanted to yell at her for not fighting back to keep him. Why did she let him go?

"I think you should ask your dad his side of the story first. But i want to make it clear that it was completely my fault whatsoever. So don't go and kill him straight away." Beckett said quietly, her eyes never leaving her coffee as she stood up slowly. "I should go. Let me know if you need anything, my number is still the same."

"Wait." Alexis said suddenly as she finally asked the unspoken question. "Who was he? The man you were with just now."

Kate looked away as she answered. "Someone new." And with that, Kate ran away into the streets and away from the past that was quickly catching up to her.

The rain was chilly as it sprinkled on her hair, dampening it slowly when it dripped down. The rain drops mixed with her tears and continued the waterfalls down her face. She couldn't even be bothered to head to a shelter of hail a cab as people started to run in different directions to the nearest shelter.

Her heart that had been broken had started to heal, but seeing him only ripped it apart again. Hearing the voice she could barely restrain herself from, when she could recall the last time she ever heard him say "I love you".

_It was a bright summer's day and the sun was shining happily. The two lovers were curled up in each others arms, just content with each other's presence. _

_"Kate, I have to go for my book meeting in a few minutes." Rick said as he eased himself off of her. _

_"No. Stay." she pouted as she slid her leg over his thigh and her arms around his neck. She licked his neck and kissed him softly, making him moan in pleasure. _

_"Oh God, Kate. Stop. I really have to go." He gently pushed her away and she pretended to be insulted and turned her body away from him. _

_"Oh what. You're ignoring me now? Fine. I won't be back early then." he said as he got out of bed and walked away, but before he could reach the doorknob, he felt two arms reach across his shoulders and spin him around until his lips were pressed against Kate's. _

_"You can't resist me. I'll see you tonight." she smirked against his lips and pulled away. _

_"I love you." Rick grinned as he pulled away to get his clothes out of the closet._

_"I love you too. And do you need help with that?" She winked suggestively at him, and he just laughed as he pushed her out of the bathroom._

She still felt the ghost of his lips on hers, as she crouched down on the wet ground and leaned against a wall. She cried even harder when she knew that Sean could never be Castle and that her heart could never be given to anyone else.

Her sadness was amplified when she felt someone pick her up and carry her and she was so sure it wasn't him. But she lost the will to push him away, and surrendered to his touch.

Rick wasn't doing much better. He paced the floors of the doorway, he had been an idiot and forgot to bring the keys with him in his rush to find Alexis. He sat outside near the sidewalk, waiting for her. When it started to rain, heavily. He saw many people running to the shelter, except one. She looked like she had been crying, but her head was bent so he couldn't tell who it was. The woman leaned against a wall and curled herself into a ball.

His heart went out to her as the figure reminded him of someone he once lost. Plus, he was worried this poor girl may get sick from the rain. So, he quietly walked into the rain and nearer to her. Only then, could he hear her sobs. When he realized who she was, he froze.

He couldn't touch her, he had no right to do that anymore. He couldn't kiss her like he wanted so much, he gave up that right when things ended. He couldn't call her Kate, he gave up that right when he called her Beckett.

So, instead of speaking, he wordlessly picked her up and clutched her cold and shivering body to his chest. He daren't look at her face, lest she turn and recognize him and slip away. He remained silent when he saw Alexis walk out of the store, eyes widening, and quickly passing him a spare key while running off somewhere else.

The temperature difference was enough to make her instinctively snuggle up closer to him cosily in his arms and he almost forgot that they weren't together anymore. Her hair was dripping wet, but it somehow made her all the more beautiful. And, not to mention, Hot. As he stepped into his loft, she began to stir and he, as gently as possible, placed her on the couch. He stared at her for a moment slightly longer than necessary before walking to get some blankets for her.

When he came back, he found her sitting on the couch with a very dazed expression on her face.

"Ri-Castle... Hey. Thanks... For, you know." she said quietly. "I'd better be going..." she said, when he didn't say anything. She tried to stand up but her knees wobbled and she tumbled down. Kate shut her eyes in fear, bracing for impact that never came. All she felt was a slight wind but it was only a few seconds later that she realized that someone's arms were wrapped securely around her waist.

She glanced up slowly and Rick released her, his face red with embarrassment. "Uh I'm sorry. You were going to fall. Oh my god. Kate, you're running a high fever. " He accidentally touched her forehead and found it was radiating with heat. He immediately made her lie down and went straight to get some medicine for her.

'Damn. He looks so hot when he tried to be in charge...' Kate thought to herself, as she slowly disentangled herself from his arms and on to the couch. She could still feel his touch, light as a feather, on her forehead. She wanted to leave, to spare herself the shame of what she had done to be able to lose his trust like that. It made her heart and soul completely rip apart once again.

She could still feel his smile on her lips the last time they kissed. She wished she could erase the memory but sometimes, things can't be forgotten, and the harder you try, the harder and longer it sticks. She leaned into the couch that still smelt like him, happy to drown herself in her memories, dreaming of a day like today, where they would be in the same room without ordering the other out within a few minutes. She remembered his cheek on her forehead. And then her forehead was suddenly wet. She opened her eyes, not knowing when she had closed them, and found a worried Castle with a wet towel and pressing it to her head, trying to reduce the temperature.

Kate tried again to sit up, but she felt like the whole room was spinning and it felt like a sauna, even though Rick had turned on the air con. She could feel his coolness towards her, even with the kind gestures he was showing, and her heart sank. He was no longer hers. She had made the same mistake as his first love, Keira. Except that this time, it was her who lost him.

That night, she couldn't dream unless you count nightmares.

okay guys that's it for now I shall give you all a better explanation for their break up in the next chapter okay? Although im currently having some writer block.. I will do my best to finish it and do it well. Please give me some reviews it really helps me write more. Was Alexis alright last chapter? I wasn't sure if it was good enough. I hope I did Rick and Kate some justice sorry if I kind of failed at it. But let me know so I can make you guys happy!

HAVE A GOOD WEEK EVERYONE!

~Lianna


	3. Chapter 3 Conflict

Once Broken, Considered Sold-3

Hey everyone! Oh Gosh I am SO late with this update... Sorry:( I got sick and that was just after my exam spam last week. For Rewind, Remix, Replay readers, I will try to update that soon! Don't worry I haven't forgotten it. If you havent, I recommend you to read it:) haha. A little self promotion here...

Thank you for all those people who have reviewed and Favourited this story. Every time I look at the notifications and see the emails, I can't stop myself from grinng like crazy. Okay you guys may have been wondering about why they broke up, and I finally added that part in. But I'm not gonna make them talk about it until later chapters. btw, warning, there are a bit of profanities in this chapter.

Disclaimer- I wish I could have them. But I DO own a tumblr. PM me for the address:) I don't bite:D

All was silent through the night. It wasn't till about a few hours after midnight that the Castle household was shaken by a scream coming from the guest room.

Castle came running to the bed, only to find it empty. Seeing the flutter of the dark curtains, he rushed to it and pulled them apart. Kate was shivering from head to toe and could barely mask her relief to find him standing in front of her. She reached for him and he held onto her for his life.

It wasn't too long ago that he could have held her in this way for no reason other than because he wanted to. Sadly, he knew there was no way she could ever forgive him for breaking her heart after she finally learned to let him in. Trust is a hard thing to get, but once you earn it, you never let it go. Unfortunately, he did. And he was never going to get it back. All he could do, was to sit quietly beside her, stroking her hair until she finally calmed down before retreating to his own room to stare at the ceiling and at least pretend that he had slept alittle for Alexis. If not, she would probably stay at home and make an excuse to 'pack' when she just wanted to watch him and make him sleep.

Kate sobbed softly into the crook of the pillow long after Rick had left the room. She felt the dampness of the cushion, and rolled till she was facing the ceiling after finally running out of tears. The pain in her chest refused to relinquish its hold on her. It had been a horrendous few months trying to get over him, trying to forget his smile and move on with her life. Her life, that somehow felt incomplete without him by her side, went back to normal after he left. That was what she was thinking when she got up and walked into the guest bathroom, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the hot shower.

_She had been crying the whole night and she really didn't want to go back to work that day. Lanie had slept over and hugged her when she started to sob. Lanie was partially mad at Rick for doing this to Kate, but deep down, she knew that it was Kate's fault too. Ryan and Esposito were especially quiet and solemn that morning, probably having gotten a warning from Lanie. And for that, she was glad to have a best friend working with her._

_It was almost the end of lunchbreak, when suddenly noticed Castle coming out of the elevator and walking straight to the new Captain's office without even a glance in her direction. She felt a pang on her heartstrings but pushed it away and concentrated on the casefile in front of her. She couldnt help but peek up every few minutes to see if he was still in the office, which he was._

_He finally came out of the office holding a box, and lightly set it on the chair he usually sat on, as he began to collect all of his notes, papers and belongings from the table. Beckett didn't dare look at him and face his deep blue eyes at this time, she knew she would burst into tears and this just wasnt the right time or place to do it. Instead, she watched from the corner of her eye as Castle took the last of his things and turned away._

_"Hey Beckett! I knew you didn't go out to eat, so I bought you some sandwiches in case..." Ryan trailed off as he noticed Castle on his way out, and Beckett trying not to cry. She was like his little sister whom he would die to protect, even from his friends. So he immediately went straight up to Castle and pulled him aside._

_"You broke her heart and I want to punch you. But I know it was her fault too, so I'm just gonna say this once. I hope you reconsider your decision because she will never admit it, but she needs you to take care of her. "_

_"If she needed it so badly, she wouldn't have thrown it away so fast. I'm gonna miss working with all of you guys, but I think you will do okay without me. Have a good day Kevin." He said, his face expressionless as he shook the detective's hand and walked out, with Ryan calling out "If you change your mind, you know where to find us!" after him._

_oooooooooooooOooooooooooooo_

Alexis woke up earlier than usual, because she was worried about Beckett and her dad. Best case scenario, they made up and were in bed together. Everyone is happy. Worse case scenario, they got into a heavy fight again, and someone or everyone got hurt. Either way, she needed to get back home.

The living room was silent but still clean and she heard the shower running, so she assumed that they hadn't killed each other yet. She was just getting ready for breakfast, when Rick came up behind her and gave her a hug.

"Hey pumpkin ."

"Hey dad, how's the situation?"

"She's...sick. Don't look so worried, she'll be alright. I called the doctor last night when she was asleep, so with some rest, she should be fine."

"I meant with you, dad. From the looks of it, you didn't have any sleep last night so don't try to lie and say you did." She glanced at his face and wanted to scold him for not listening to her.

"I didn't think you studied the art of phsycology." Rick looked down slightly.

"It's included in the Law programme dad. And don't change the subject." Alexis folded her arms and waited for a comeback, and to her surprise, there was none. In fact, her father looked behind her and immediately tried to smile like nothing happened.

She managed a small sigh and walked away to make breakfast for the both of them, knowing who was behind her. It had to be her, she was the only one who made him smile like that when the situation certainly didn't call for it. She sincerely hoped they would make up and get back together soon. Since she would be going off to college in a few days and he would be all alone. Even Martha usually wasn't around, she was busy touring the world.

The question was how she could convince her dad that she was still worth it. For all she knew, he may not have given up for good and she may have begun dating another guy as a rebound for him.

She should call him. Explain what happened at the coffee shop, and why she hadn't been picking up. More importantly, she needed to tell him the horrible truth of why she had started dating him in the first place. She felt so guilty for using him, but she was too broken to even decide what was best for her, much less the repercussions of her actions on everybody.

-FLASHBACK-

_Two months ago..._

_The sun came up early, and Kate was woken up by the silence of the room. She turned to her side, expecting to find her partner fast asleep, but was met by an empty bed. Her head felt like it was being weighed down by stones and she had a strong feeling of uneasiness when she realised that she didn't recognize her surroundings._

_The bathroom door opened and Alex Conrad stepped out with a towel wrapped around him. He sat on the bed beside her, and started stroking her hair, to which made Kate want to break his arm._

_"Hey. I didn't think you'd be awake. How are you feeling?" He asked, looking concerned. To which Kate didn't believe was genuine._

_"Where the hell am I, Conrad?"_

_"It was Alex last night, wasn't it? Dont tell me you didn't enjoy yourself?" He grinned._

_"Fuck you, you bastard! Where the hell am I?" Kate squirmed until she had her hand around his neck collar and her other hand raised for attack. She was sobbing inwardly, Rick would never forgive her for this. Ever. She had broken her promise by spending time with him, and now she probably had slept with him and cheated on her boyfriend._

_"Whoa, chill Kate. This is my house. You wanted to come here instead of your place, since you said Castle may be there. You wanted this-" he gestured to the both of them._

_"Don't call me Kate." she said as she pulled herself off the bed and collected her clothes._

_"what the hell is this Kate? You said it wasn't just gonna be a one night thing last night."_

_"Don't you turn this on me! You got me drunk and took advantage of me."_

_"you gave me permission. In fact, you practically BEGGED me to fuck you." then he could barely feel his jaw as Kate punched the daylight out of him. "shut up! You knew I was taken. And that he'll never forgive me after this."_

_" You know what? Just get the fuck out of my house. Go back to your relationship that was obviously so unfeeling that you had to sleep with me to get through it." and then he couldn't see anymore because all he could feel was his body being slammed against the headrest and walls of his room before a door slammed. He could hear her repeating the words "You know that that is completely untrue." before blacking out._

_Kate cried and cried until she had no more tears left. She sat outside his door for hours until he came back. He had obviously found some way of getting rid of Conrad, for he never showed his face again. But he was changed after that. He became withdrawn and cold towards her. And not long after that, it was over. He had ended it. He said that he couldn't handle someone who cheated; but she knew that it was because she broke her one promise to him. Two weeks after they broke up, Rick got his stuff and cleared out._

_It was inevitable. In fact, everyone had shunned her for a while after the incident got out. They all were pissed that she cheated on him. Even if it was unintentional. It was only after a long time, that they began to warm up to her again._

-back to the present-

"Hey Sean. We need to talk. Yes, about the other day."

00000000000000000000000000000~

MUAHAHA AND THAT'S WHERE I'M LEAVING IT PEOPLE! Sorry to be mean, but I'm really sick and I can barely get out of bed at this point. So, in another way, I'm bored. Therefore, i will ask that readers spam me in the reviews with any question they want, and I will answer truthfully.

So okay! Please let me know what you think about this chapter and what you want to happen in the mext few chapters... Maybe I can heal faster and write better too. Teehee!;)

Have a good week ahead!

Lianna~~


	4. Chapter 4 Lost

Once Broken, Considered sold-4

chapter 4- Lost

Hey guys, thanks for reviewing and reading this story! You're awesome and I hope we all live through the hiatus:) I know I haven't updated in along time, so I hope the length of this story makes up for it;P

Alright. So i understand that alot of you are very confused at the sudden PoV changes and characters popping up. So I decided to add in a question and answer session in this chapter. For people who are completely okay with the story, you are permitted to skip this part. For the rest, LISTEN UP, this will only be said once, unless you write me more questions... :D

1. Who is Sean?

Sean is the coffee shop guy/new boyfriend mentioned in the first chapter. I forgot to put his name in. Sorry:P

2. Why was Kate with Alex Conrad?

Ahahaha. That hasnt been explained yet. Their pasts will all be explained via flashbacks that will be slowly spread out within the chapters. So until then, I can't reveal anything yet.

3. Was what happened with Kate and Conrad, Rick's fault?

Huh? Where did you get that idea? No. It isn't his fault. That's why everyone was pissed at Kate... More explanations coming up!

4. Did Kate tell Rick about Conrad?

Yes. She did.

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask me:DD

here's the next chapter!

Sean's PoV

No way. No freaking way. He had been used by the one girl that had meant something to him. The one thing he actually cared about. She had called in the middle of the day, to say that they were over, and that she had been using him. He had never thought that she would break his heart like this. Katherine Beckett. His one and only. Had been stolen from him. But he had already expected it... She was never his to begin with. Somehow, he had always known that she would never be fully his, without her heart being tied up in a memory.

All his life, he had been flirting with nearly every girl he met. Bouncing off one girl for another after not more than two dates. Marriage and dating weren't really his type. He was a 'one night stand' kind of guy.

Until one night at the Old Haunt. He had seen a really hot girl sitting by herself, glancing every now and then to a picture on the wall. Her eyes were haunting, but filled with deep sorrow, and he wanted to kiss it away. She brushed away a tear and sipped her alcohol slowly, staring into space, seemingly lost until her gaze flitted back to the photo, and then her eyes seem to brighten with the memory of something even he could not understand. And ever so often, the tiniest trace of a smile graced her lips. The photo was of a young guy, smiling cheerfully. 'He must be very special to her.' Sean thought.

He had thought of her as his ultimate achievement in women, and set his target to woo her. It wasn't easy, even though she was pretty drunk already. He slid into the seat next to her and offered to buy her a drink. And he had been nearly handcuffed to the table. "I'm a cop. don't try anything." she whispered softly. Sean couldn't remember what line he used on her, but it resulted in her laughing at him.

It took them about three weeks, to get to know each other, and by then, Sean had fallen for her and never wanted to let her go. But there was always a slight reluctance and resistance, every time they kissed. Like she didn't really want him.

He should have known. She should have said something when they first met. Now, he had a broken heart, and nothing was going to be able to fix it.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Kate's PoV

She had expected the sadness. She had expected the denial and arguement. She hadn't expected the guilt of breaking someone else's heart like how Rick had broke hers. It didn't seem fair to keep leading him on, even though she had done the same thing to Rick for a long time. She blinked at the thought of him, and left the house silently after leaving a note of thanks.

So she was running again. But at least this time, she was running _towards_ something, or someone. Her cheeks were wet, and it wasn't because she was sweating. Instead, it was because of the cold tears dripping down her face. She was panting, but she didn't stop until she reached the building.

####

She gave a weak smile to Lanie when she opened the door and patiently waited for her after Lanie went back inside. Kate heard Lanie tell Esposito to get out for a while, before ushering her in, and him, out.

"Girl, what the heck is wrong with you? Are you crazy? Running here in the middle of the day when you're running a fever? You're just looking to get hospitalized, arent you?" Kate's head shot up when Lanie mentioned the word 'hospitalized', ad she shot her a pleading look. "Hmmph. It's not THAT serious yet. But it will be, if you keep this up." Lanie sent her a pointed glare.

Kate averted her eyes and pouted. "Oh no. Don't you try that on me. It won't work, and you know it." Lanie responded and walked away unaffected.

She came back a few minutes later with a cup of hot soup. "Drink. You need the fluids. Plus, if you don't, I'll really take you to the hospital." so Kate sat on the couch and obediently drank the warm liquid that warmed every part of her body except her heart. She spilled everything out to her best friend for the next few hours. How she so badly wanted to see him, and yet was so afraid of him. She knew he was avoiding her, but she couldnt bring herself to admit that she wanted him back.

After listening to Kate ramble for a while, she finally ran out of gas to defend herself and just sobbed quietly. When Kate took a long needed breath of oxygen, Lanie took her magazine and hit her hard on the head, causing her to yelp in pain. "LANIE! Did you _have_ to add to my physical pain?" she groaned as she rubbed her head in frustration and confusion.

"NOPE. but I did it to wake your mentally pained self up! It's so obvious you want him Kate, and who knows? Maybe he wants you too."

"I don't think so Lanie."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Lanie gave her a look, and as if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Lanie," Kate almost growled at her. " If that's him, I swear I will-"

"Thank me? You do whatever you want girl, but I have nothing to do with that." Almost instantly, an image of the past incident where Castle went to get the door, and found a dead body, came into her mind. Following the past events of that case, she realized how much they actually relied on each other.

She let out a quiet groan of frustration when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to think about him. Instead, she focused on taking her gun out and inching towards the door. Just when she slammed the door open and was about to pull the trigger, she realized who it was. Esposito. Lanie looked half scared and half pissed, as she glared at her boyfriend for not waiting for her call before returning.

"Sorry Esposito. I-I didn't know that-"

"It's okay Kate. Javier's the one who should appologise." Lanie put her arm around her best friend's shoulders and gave Esposito the evil eye.

"Y-Yeah. I'm sorry for not letting you guys know I was coming back..." Esposito said sincerely.

"I'd better get going... It's okay Lanie, I should get back to my own apartment and check on my mail." She said after seeing Lanie's sad look. "I'll catch you later, Lanie.

It seemed like she couldn't find anywhere for her to be at peace. So Kate walked out of the district alone, feeling slightly dizzy, not knowing that Lanie had called someone while watching her leave by the window.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Richard was sitting alone on his couch. At times, he found that it still had a little of her scent left, and it was the thing keeping him from going insane for the past few weeks. He stared blankly at the ceiling and was feeling very lost.

Kate had disappeared that day after leaving a hastily written note. He was seriously confused, he was supposed to have forgotten her so that when she left, he wouldn't feel as if she had ripped his heart into pieces again.

~~~FlashBack~~~

Kate Beckett had been sobbing against his doorstep, waiting for him to come home. He had wondered why didn't she open the door and go in, since she had her own set of keys. Before he could even ask, she had gotten up and flung her arms around his body and pressed her crying face into his shoulder.

"Kate, what happened?" he asked as he gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. She couldn't speak coherently as of then, so her only reply was to sob even harder as she gripped his shirt even tighter.

"Hey! You're finally back, eh? That girl's been sitting there crying for the past half an hour waiting for you." Joe, his neighbor down the hall called out to him, as he collected his newspaper and went back inside.

"Let's go inside." He told her as he quickly unlocked the door and let his girlfriend into his house. It was early in the morning, and she hadn't returned his calls the night before. He thought that it was due to her being exhausted because of the recent case and that she had turned in early, but when he went over that morning, she hadn't been home.

Something obviously had happened, but she seemed in no state to tell him at that point, so he figured that the best thing he could do was to let her relax and stop crying.

The case that they had closed recently consisted of a gruesome double murder, two siblings. One was only a few years older than Alexis. But because of the strange time sequence that had occurred, Alex Conrad, his protégé, had come to observe them and show Rick his new chapter. The whole team had went out to drinks for a celebratory win, but the mood wasn't as high as usual. The killer turned out to be one of the victim's best friend. The two had hatched a plan to kill the other sibling, until he pulled out, and therefore, both were killed. In fact, there WAS someone who had asked him out in that duration of the case, but he declined politely. Still, she gave him her number, just in case, she said. 'Her name was...Anna? Audrey? Or something like that.' he had thought.

Anyway, Rick had been on edge during that case, and decided to head home early, leaving Kate with the others. He simply just wanted to hug his daughter goodnight and perhaps it will make him feel better the next morning, and he would be less gloomy.

~~~~~End of Flashback.~~~~

He didn't want to remember past that moment, knowing what came next. It would only make his heart ache once again. It took him so long to finally let her go, she didn't get to suddenly squeeze her way back into his heart and his mind. She didn't deserve that. No-HE didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

There was only one other way, other than drinking, to make him forget the experience. He picked up his phone from the glass table, and dialed.

"Hey, Adrianna? I was thinking, maybe I could take you out one of these days after all..."

Sorry guys, I had to stop there for the time being, since I haven't updated in a while. Don't worry! Caskett will happen, EVENTUALLY. Haha. And don't kill Adrianna please! She is an OC, but she wont cause too much of problems for our favourite couple. In fact, I DO have a plan for her, but you'll just have to read to find out:)

Today is teacher's day holiday so I can post this, but for those reading RRR, I WILL UPDATE THAT SOON:) and if you aren't, go and take a look:) who knows? you may like it^^.

I'll try to update this as soon as possible, please leave me a review on your way out;) you know, it brightens up every writer's day, And with HAPPY and INSPIRED writers, readers get better and longer chapters:) teehee!

Have a good week guys! Enjoy the short break before exams come xP

Until next time,

~Lianna


	5. Chapter 5 Clash

Once Broken, Considered Sold-5

Hello everyone! I am sooo sorry this took like epic long to update. I've been trying to finish a bit more of my other story, Rewind, Remix, Replay, before going back to this one. So, here I am! *is greeted with silence* oh well, hope you enjoy this chapter:) feel free to yell at me through reviews;)

I received delightful reviews last chapter and I would like to say thanks to everyone who alerted and reviewed the story. Even those who didn't, but still read it, have a cookie everyone!

Disclaimer- I am just borrowing the characters for some fun time:) but Adrianna is mine though:D

###

"Castle?" Kate knocked on the door for the third time that night. He had not yet answered the door, and she was getting slightly worried. It wasn't like him to suddenly disappear. Then, she remembered her hasty departure earlier that day. 'Could he have gone out ?' she thought. 'but shouldn't Alexis still be at home?'

The door opened to reveal a very sleep deprived Martha. "Kate? Richard isn't home at the moment, and Alexis left half an hour ago to meet Ashley. I dont think you're here to see her off, so what are you doing here? ' Kate mentally kicked herself for being so silly, and forgetting that Martha usually took a nap at this time. "I'm so sorry for waking you up Martha, but it's...kinda important. Do you know when he'll be home?"

"Well, he said he was going out, And that he'll be home late. "

"Oh..." Kate glanced down at the tiles on the floor, taking a sudden interest in the floorings of the building.

The older woman's gaze softened when she saw Kate's embarrassed state. The poor girl couldn't even look at her. 'She deserved the truth. Who knows? Maybe this will be a good push forward for them.' she thought. "The Chinese restaurant down at the 54th. He made reservations for two." she handed her a slip of paper. "Don't mess it up this time, dear."

Kate looked up in surprise and smiled for the first time in a long time.

###

"Oh my goodness! Richard! This is such a nice place! You didn't have to bring me to this place on our first date." The leggy blonde gave her date a smile as he tipped the waiter and pulled out the chair for her.

She gave a long glance at the menu before looking up at her date with embarrassment after finding that she was unable to read the menu. "So Richard, what's good here? I never paid much attention during my foreign language classes, so i can't read the menu, perhaps you could recommend me some good dishes to order?" Richard chuckled at her statement, glad to have someone who was honest to talk to, and placed all the orders in mandarin. Before she could comment on it, however, he replied " It was a TV show I used to love."

"You can totally read my mind, can't you?" Adrianna grinned. Her laugh was genuine and it had a joyful ring to it. Richard found himself smiling along as they continued their conversation.

Adrianna was completely different from her, and yet, there were moments where it seemed like the two of them were alike. Adrianna was a bit like what he envisioned Kate would have been if she didn't have so much walls. Maybe that was what attracted him to accept her invitation in the first place. They had the same sense of humor but unlike Kate, Adrianna was more open to talking about her feelings, and saying what was on her mind. Maybe he should move on. The thought had crossed his mind before, and

#####

Kate was pissed. Seriously pissed. She had exited the loft as gracefully as she could, with whatever dignity she had left, throwing away the rest in an effort to look for him and appologise. And what was he doing? He was out on a DATE with a dumb blonde! Oh, she WAS dumb. The Chinese words on the menu were so simple, even SHE could read them. She would have stood up and confronted them, but there was also the problem of which was that she was not supposed to be there, spying/grumbling to herself/being jealous. Or at least "watching out for him", as that was what excuse she was planning to use.

They were sitting comfortably at a table across the room, with Rick's back facing her. To anyone, they looked like a happy couple on a date. She was laughing at something Rick had said before, and he was smiling back, just watching it made her feel like there was acid burning in her stomach. They were happy together. Rick was HAPPY with her. It suddenly dawned on her that maybe the best solution was to let him date other people, since all she had brought him was sadness. She had known for a while, but the thought of it had made her sick. To watch the guy she loved kiss another woman, date another woman, be INTIMATE with another woman; it made her choke on her own saliva.

She had arrived a good ten minutes ago, and had watched the two of them through the window outside. Until it got so cold, she was shivering due to her lack of proper attire. In fact, she was slightly surprised that they let her in, since it seemed that this place was quite high class, and she was certainly not dressed for it.

She peered curiously over the top of the menu and glanced at what Rick had ordered. He looked so...dashing, in that suit, and she could literally feel her attention drift off as happy memories began to play in her mind.

"Ahem. Would you like to join them, Miss?" The waiter suddenly coughed. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, as well as hide her embarrassment. "Then would you like to order now, Miss?"

"I would like this, and this, with this, and this side." She randomly pointed to a few words on the page, and the waiter raised his eyebrows. "Miss, you do know that you just ordered 3 soups and one dish, don't you?"

"What?" Kate felt the heat spread up her neck once again, and anxiously looked around in case anyone noticed her fumble. "Um. Okay, then give me and order of your best dishes."

"Yes, Miss."

She sighed in relief when he walked away. Having a waiter take your order for too long attracts unwanted attention, which she couldn't risk. Her nerves were getting to her, so she got up discreetly and left to find the washroom.

She had splashed some cold water on her face, and began to reapply her makeup, when one of the cubicle doors opened to reveal Rick's date. They obviously didn't know each other, but the curiousity was killing Kate, so she plucked up the courage to start a conversation.

"Nice date you got there." she started.

"Thank you. Rick's the best, perhaps you recognize him from his books? His writings are truly extraordinary." The woman smiled warmly at her.

"You have no idea." Kate mumbled, but said with a louder voice, "I guess so. I'm quite a fan of his. "

"Ha ha ha. So am I, actually. I'm Adrianna, and you are?"

"Katherine. It's nice to meet you, Adrianna. You're a lucky woman. If you don't mind me asking, where did you first meet Cas-, I mean, Richard?"

"Oh, its not a problem. Richard told me that if we take our relationship public, the press would be all over it. We met some time ago, during a police investigation. He had recently wrapped a case, and I had wrapped up a deal. We ran into each other in a bar and that was where it all started. What was the name of the bar.. it was, the old something."

"Haunt?" Kate stammered out.

"why yes! That was it! Wow, you really are a fan." She smiled and shook Kate's hand before saying that she needed to get back to her date. They parted ways, and she left the room.

Unfortunately, Kate only realized too late that if Adrianna had gone to the bathroom earlier than her, Rick would have had a good chance of seeing Kate because she was right in his view. She tried to make a U-turn by feigning a stomach ache, but she was stopped when she heard her name. "Kate?"

_Oh crap. _

###

"Oh Rick! I simply must introduce you to this young woman, she says she is a fan of yours, and she's quite the character. Her name is-" Adrianna was getting all excited about her new friend, and didn't even notice her date's horrified stare.

"Kate. What are you doing here?" He asked, hoping his voice was level enough to be taken seriously. He could almost hear Kate groan inwardly as she turned around to face him, face like a boy caught stealing an apple.

"Oh! You two know each other?" Adrianna asked innocently.

"She was my boss when I temporarily worked with the law enforcement for research on 'Nikki Heat'. " Rick said with an edge of coolness that made Kate feel as if she had been slapped full on the face. He said 'boss'. Not even a reference to 'partner', or even 'friend'.

"Rick, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded." She began to back away from the couple, one of which looked positively befuddled at the situation, and the other, guilty for making her feel bad.

"Kate. I'm sorry. That was over the line. Please don't leave on my account. I know you're still sick, you need to at least eat your dinner before you go. I'll buy dinner for you in repayment for being a jerk."

"Thank you, Castle. But i think I'd just prefer to go." she gave them a fake smile which he saw through easily, and turned around quickly to go and pay the bill for her untouched dinner.

"Richard, are you sure you're okay? Because you can go after her if you want. I can see that she is important to you, and I don't want to ruin your friendship. " Adrianna said, as she chewed her food slowly. Rick had been anxiously glancing at his watch and out the window every five minutes for the past quarter hour; ever since Katherine had left the restaurant. Plus, it had started to drizzle a while ago, and from the looks of it, Katherine didn't have an umbrella.

"No. It's fine. Really." He did his best to act nonchalant but Adrianna knew that he cared about that girl alot. So, she did the best thing she could at the moment.

"Richard, thats it. I am ORDERING you to go after her. Even if you only are doing it because I will hit you if you don't. We can have other dates, but she's your friend, and she needs you right now. " He gave a small smile after that speech, got up and wiped his chin before dashing out. "HEY! You're buying the next one and for goodness' sake! TAKE AN UMBRELLA!" she called out to his back as he grabbed the umbrella and ran out.

Adrianna smiled to herself and shook her head as she took out her credit card and motioned for the waiter to bring the bill. 'The restaurant will have lots of wasted food tonight, from the looks of it.' She thought, as she made a quick mental note to go to a less expensive restaurant in future.

####

Okay! I'm done for today! I wrote this in like 2 hours i know most of you are probably mad at me for not updating in forever:( I'm sorry. I will do my very best to write more and update soon:) please PM me or spam me if you think i'm too slow. Also, please let me know if my chapter length is alright :P

I hope you guys still review this chapter to let me know what you think, and whether you like it or not:) I can take strict reviews/criticism:) I take it all as a good learning experience. At least I got this up before Halloween:)

Trick or Treat anyone? ;)

Until next time,

~Lianna


	6. Chapter 6 Fate

Once broken, considered sold-6

Fate

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter at last^^ thank you guys so much for leaving me with some great reviews that made my day;) I really appreciated it! So, your reward is... A NEW CHAPTER:) at least I didn't take as long to get this up right? Haha:)

Okay, I tried to make this chapter longer than I usually do, so I hope you enjoy it:) I wrote this during my free time in class. After all, it's extended studies and my class is in the computer lab:P perfect time to write:)

Disclaimer- oh sure, I own castle and Beckett:) oh my gosh, did you see that? Pigs are flying!

###

Beckett's PoV

The smile on her face was as fake as it could be. She rummaged through the contents of her purse in an attempt to get the cash she needed to pay the hefty bill. She didn't have near enough money to pay, so she pulled out her credit card with a sigh. There goes her bonus savings... God, she hated Rick so much at that point.

For firstly, being himself and going out with a leggy blonde and having a good time.

Secondly, for coming to this EXPENSIVE Chinese restaurant. And making her pay so much for food she didn't even TOUCH.

Thirdly, for making her feel guilty and selfish for wanting him when he didn't want her.

And lastly, for making her feel like all this was HER FAULT. Oh wait, that last part was kind of true.

The waiter took her card with a slight air of sympathy. He leaned over and spoke in a low voice. "Miss, you didn't get to eat your food, would you like me to pack it up? You look like you could use the dinner."

She blushed lightly and shook her head quickly in response. "Thank you, but I really need to go home."

The waiter gave a side glance in Castle's direction, and Beckett did her best not to show any emotion towards that subject. He gave her a pitiful smile before swiping her card across the cash register. Did she really look that bad? That even a young waiter could tell what she was thinking about. She pushed those thoughts out of her head as she signed the cheque with a heavy heart.

Grabbing her purse, she turned to go, when the waiter quickly slipped her a small takeout box, which she received with a small amount of relief. "Thank you." she mouthed and walked out of the double doors, holding her impulses which screamed for her to turn back and take a last glance at Rick, in case that should be the last time she ever saw him.

Kate walked about half a block when she felt a drop of water drip onto her forehead and slide across her face. She flicked her hand to brush it away, and instead, it unwillingly triggered more droplets to drip down her cheeks. She kept walking though, ignoring the sobs that was beginning to escape her throat in soft gasps in between her breaths, willing her body to keep going until she reached the safety of her apartment.

She felt a chill run through her body as a gust of wind brought a shower of rain upon her from the leaves of the trees above her. She shivered in the sudden downpour, and frantically looked around for a shelter somewhere but there was none. In this part of town, you can't just walk into a store looking for shelter. You go in, you buy something; and the stuff here were even more expensive than the food in the restaurant.

The raindrops beat heavily against her tilted head, her clothes were sticking to her skin and her muscles were aching due to the strain they had been put under for the past few days. She quickly ran to the back of a shop in the next block, where there was a roof, so she could lean against the wall and be slightly drier.

Just then, she had a flashback of when Rick helped her to his apartment when it was pouring. He had carried her and it felt so warm... Those strong arms that used to be where she belonged. Where she wanted to be, right then. But she quickly pushed that image out of her mind immediately. He wasn't coming to rescue her this time. He was probably nice and dry, laughing and flirting with that leggy blonde, eating dinner. 'That could have been her.' she thought. 'oh wait, I had my chance.' She once again dismissed that thought when it came up.

She plastered herself against the back wall of the building and sighed as she looked at the empty streets. She couldn't even beg anyone to share an umbrella with her until the next bus-stop, so her fate was evidently clear. She was probably going to get sick again, and be on medical leave for another week. That would be a horrible fate. She could barely even keep Rick out her thoughts at the present moment, how would she be able to stand another week being cooped up for her thoughts to run wild?

The wind began to blow the rain into a different direction, and the angle tilted towards her. So, soon, the drops of rain resumed their assault on her face. And as she assumed, her make-up was most effectively ruined. This just really wasn't her day.

It was like that for a while, just Kate her lonely thoughts, and the rain drops. That is, until, she felt like something was blocking the rain from getting to her. She looked up at the shadow, and her eyes widened with surprise.

"Seems like this time, we keep running into each other in the rain, and I have to rescue you." The sparkle in his eyes that used to be present every time he saw her, came back, if only for a moment; sparking up a fire of determination and desire to get him back, within Kate.

"Well then, Castle. My place, or yours?"

###

"Come ON, Kate! You've GOT to tell me what went on between you and writer boy the other day. Nuh uh! Don't you give me that innocent puppy look, Katherine Beckett. You know I see RIGHT THROUGH IT. So, you got drenched and went to-?"

"My place. And how many times must i say it? NOTHING HAPPENED."

"What did you do? Or more importantly, what did HE do?"

"He just helped me get ready for bed. Then, he apparently cleaned my place up a bit while I was asleep, because the whole place was neater when i woke up the next morning. He probably went home after that."

"Girl, tell me again WHY you haven't begged him for forgiveness and jumped him yet?"

"Because he's with someone else!"

"Oh right. That Adrianna fellow. Now THERE'S your next problem. You need me to go talk to her? You know, get her more familiar to what kind of relationship she's meddling in? And what possible CONSEQUENCES are there?"

"The only consequences she's getting, are the perks that you get from dating Rick Castle."

"Not all of them." Lanie mumbled, as she flipped through the magazine, ignoring Kate's pointed glare, and scanning through the newest trends until she found what she was looking for. The recent interview with Richard Castle regarding his current plans.

"Here!" She pointed out the paragraph she had been looking for to a curious Kate. "Read this: The reason I had decided to stop writing Nikki Heat was that I found her character too complex for words to even begin to describe. She has so many layers that even me, as an author cannot fully comprehend..."

She trailed off when Kate cut eye contact and stared at the floor. "Hey hey hey! It's not the part I wanted you to hear yet! Okay, okay. I can tell you don't want to hear the rest. I'll just skip to that part first then. You can read the rest of the interview later when you're in a better mood... Here it is: Richard Castle, when asked if he had any things to say to the people at the precinct, he replied:

'Ryan- Be more confident in yourself. You are a great person and you need to know it.

Esposito- Feed the birds. You're gonna be a shoo in for captain after Beckett.

Lanie- You should go upstairs more often and bring some life into the precinct.

Kate-Don't look so lost anymore. Your eyes need to see the goodness in all the worst things. You should find someone who makes you smile.'" Lanie paused at the end to look at her friend, who had gone silent after that long speech.

"Thanks for coming over, Lanie. Shouldn't you be getting back soon? Espo will probably be waiting for you." She said, while not making eye contact. Obviously, the whole thing had affected her, so to Lanie, that was as good as a reaction as she was going to get.

"Alright alright, I can get the message. You're kicking me out, so you can have some alone time, so you think and ponder about your feelings and decide what to do with your life. I get it, no worries. I'll let this slide, for now. You owe me a girl talk about this." Lanie pointed at her and gave her a smug look as she let herself out, shouting out "It is fate! And you know it!" as she laughed at Kate's look of disbelief and annoyance.

After she left, Kate fell back against the couch, her mind swarming with images and comments about all the things he said. Did he mean it? He wanted her to move on? She didn't want to, but she was getting less convinced that he still had feelings for her. Did she really look so lost? Maybe it was a sign for her to snap out of it. The waiter, Rick, they all could tell her that she wasn't herself. And what did he mean by complex? Did he really just give up on her like that? It doesn't seem like something he would do, but then again, the both of them have been acting differently lately.

Time brings changes in people, and changes bring differences, and soon, the similarities that were once present disappear with time. And then, all you have left from a once beautiful relationship was a shell of two people who didn't know what to do with a broken relationship.

A small breeze blew in from the open window, and flipped up a page from the open magazine laid out on the coffee table. It caught Beckett's attention and she inched closer to get a look at the next page. "Fate huh?" She said to herself as she her heart jumped at a picture of Castle smiled back at her on the next page. "Yeah, right. It's a simple coincidence."

She flipped the magazine shut and stood up. "I think I've had enough of fate intervening for the past few weeks." She mumbled as she strode purposefully into the kitchen to get a drink. The first thing she saw was a carton of apple juice. She froze for a second before growling and closing the fridge door forcefully, vowing to whack Lanie the next time she saw her. Apple juice! what was coming next? A basket of cherries? She snorted in mock laughter at the silliness of it all, and turned on her computer so she could check her e-mails. She nearly stumbled out of her chair when she received an advertisement on her computer on flower and fruit arrangement. The photo was of apples and cherries mixed into a bowl shaped like a castle. She immediately shut down her lap top and went straight to bed, not wanting to leave a chance for 'fate' to get in the way of her nap again.

But unfortunately, fate had different plans for her...

_The rain beating against her face made it hard to see what was in front of her. Strands of her hair were flying wildly as the wind blew against her slim form. The man was walking and talking with a tall girl in the streets. They didn't carry an umbrella and didn't look like they cared about getting wet. The girl was laughing at something the guy said, and linked her elbow with his. _

_Through the dim street lights, she could see that they were a happy couple with a possible future. _

_The next thing she saw was a room with paint peeling off the walls. The once white washed walls were splashed with spray paint and blood. _

_The guy lay in a corner, unconscious. And the girl was being stabbed viciously. The knife was being plunged into her chest repeatedly and Kate couldn't stop it. She was rooted to the ground, watching this horrific nightmare around her. _

_The girl's limp body lay on the floor, in a puddle of her own blood, as the murder walked over towards Kate. The single light bulb hanging from the ceiling did nothing to allow Kate to see the person's face. It was just a dark shadow, with a hand holding a knife, with blood still dripping, leaving a blood trail as it walked to her. It meant that she was going to die, because obviously, the killer wasn't afraid of leaving evidence. _

_Suddenly, there was a gush of wind and she turned her head to glance back at the window. The next thing she knew, she was facing the window, and looking down, the bloody knife was in her hand. And the blood continued to drip off the metal tip as she screamed as loud as she could. _

"Castle? NOOO!"

###

Hello everyone! I'm here to be the annoying author again at the end of this chapter! Was it a cliffhanger? I didn't think it was that bad;) haha. I hope I can update this soon though:)

Please leave me some reviews, in a mean time. I updated faster this time, didn't I? And it's longer this time too:) all because You guys are awesome just for reading my story:) and I thank you from the bottom of my heart:)

You can send me some reviews to tell me if I'm doing okay with my story and if you like what I write. Also, if you think that I should write something that I havent, please send me a suggestion scenario or something:) I'll do my best to work it into my storyline:D I know, I'm being repetitive and boring okay I get the message!

Have a good week! And until next time,

~Lianna


	7. Chapter 7 Intrigue

Once Broken, Considered Sold-7

Hello dear readers! Yes, I'm late. I know. Sorry:( I can guess you guys are pretty mad. *dodges all the flying daggers* okay, make that really mad. I'm really really sorry. I just did a concert on Monday, and have been trying to catch up on life for that past few days before my vigorous studying schedule starts again.

Thanks to everyone who left me some reviews last chapter! They made my day and I am really glad that you're enjoying my story:) this chapter starts off with a bit of background on Adrianna and how Rick and her met. I'm so glad you guys aren't killing me yet;) haha thanks for bothering to read my stories:) it means alot to me^^

Disclaimer- My birthday was a few weeks ago. Can I have Castle as my present? No? Fine..

###

_The bar was unusually crowded that night. She usually didn't go to this kind of traditional looking bars but tonight was a special occasion. Adrianna had just wrapped up a deal with one of the latest break out star on the web, and she was in the mood for a celebratory drink with friends. Or well, she would have brought her friends, if she had any. In her line of business, there was barely any time for her to open a Facebook account, much less, make any friends. _

_Any friend or aquaintance she managed to meet, would be abandoned after a few minutes, thanks to her time consuming job. She was the assistant of a magazine editor, who often pushed her to get celebrities to agree for interviews. _

_She had many flings here and there, that stress had to come out from somewhere right? She had no time for a proper and long term relationship, even though she was getting tired of having different guys appear at her doorstep every week. _

_So here she was, drinking shots of alcohol while laughing at her own scenario. Alone. As lonely as she will ever be. So far, a total of six guys have walked up to her and gave her their numbers since she walked in. The first casually bumped into her as she sat down, and slipped his number into her pocket. 'The men these days are really getting more creative and bold..' she thought to herself. _

_Suddenly, a group of three guys waltzed into the bar with smiles on their faces. And to her shock, one of them was none other than Richard Castle, the famous author! Her boss would KILL to get an interview with him. If she managed to surprise her with a special, she could get a promotion, AND score a huge amount of points with her. _

_The two other guys left after a few hours, at around 9pm. Richard Castle stayed on and moved to the counter to get more drinks. He sat in a seat about two chairs away from her, so she deftly slid over one space and called the bartender to get a drink for him. _

_ "Been here a while, haven't you?" He asked, without looking at her. _

_ "Longer than you have. Mind if i sit?" she gestured to the empty seat beside him. _

_ "You've already moved over one seat, what's another? I know you've been eyeing me since I walked in, anyway." He gave her a lopsided grin as he emptied his drink. _

_ "What I meant was, are you waiting for someone? If not, can I buy you a drink?" She recovered quickly and changed the subject._

_ 'So he's a sharp guy with a keen sense of observation skills, even when he's drinking alcohol. Plus, he's quite straightforward. I like that.' Adrianna thought to herself. _

_ "Actually, I have a girlfriend. So, no, I have to decline your offer." He said with an apologetic glance._

_ "Oh. At least you're honest. I like that. What about an interview then?" she decided that perhaps being blunt might be the best way to talk to him._

_ "You'll have to speak to my agent about that, but I think she can squeeze you in somewhere." He smiled promisingly at her and drank a sip of his now full cup, after scribbling down Paula's number on a piece of paper._

_ "Great! I'll give her a call. Anyway, just in case you suddenly find that you're tired of waiting, give ME a call." She wrote down her number on his hand and stood up to go. _

_ As she left the bar, Adrianna started thinking about the man that had just rejected her offer. Richard Castle's playboy persona that usually over-shadowed his real self had slipped off slightly, allowing her a small glimpse into his real character. The Rick that actually valued relationships and likes making other people smile, the one whose personal life revolves around his daughter, not fame and money. _

_ And she had to say, she was extremely intrigued by him. _

####

"So Dad, who's this new woman in your life? The one who wrote that interview in this latest issue?" The young girl waved the magazine teasingly in front of her father's face as he drank his coffee.

"Adrianna? Is that her?" She asked as she pointed at the small picture of the reporter at the beginning of the article. At her father's nod, she continued. "She's really hot. Although the picture is really small, I can see why you like her."

"Alexis, darling! You didn't wait for me to start the grilling! We were supposed to question him together, remember? Richard, you've really been holding out on us lately, haven't you?" Martha suddenly made her presence known as she entered the kitchen, sending a reproachful look at the other occupants.

"Mother, what are you doing home?" Rick asked as he rubbed his forehead, wincing at the throbbing pain.

"Ah, I see you have a headache. Alexis, could you be a dear and get him some aspirin? And why can't I come home to see my son and granddaughter? I heard Alexis was back in town for a bit and wanted to catch her before she leaves again." She sat down and took a cup of the steaming hot coffee as Alexis skipped off to the medicine cabinet.

"I ran into Kate." He began.

"That's great, Richard! It should give you an opportunity talk about things." She cut in.

"I wasn't finished. I ran into Kate, while I was on a date with Adrianna."

Martha's eyes widened at his statement. "Well, that's a problem. No wonder you're having a headache."

He flashed her an annoyed look. "Not helping, mother."

"I found them! Sorry it took so long, but really dad, you need to keep the stuff in order when we aren't around. It's supposed to be in alphabetical order, and I found bottles scattered all over the place. I found this bottle of aspirin in the bathroom." Alexis called as she scampered back to table, throwing a short glance at her father. "Dad, I'm leaving again in a few days, so please, PLEASE, take care of yourself. Even if it's just to make me stop worrying about you when I'm so far away."

Alexis smiled gently at her father and wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning her head against him. She had grown a lot since the last time she had been home. She was almost reaching her father's chin now, and she was probably gonna out grow him in a few years.

"My daughter really has grown up. I'm gonna miss you so much, you know that right? Don't worry so much about your old dad here. Have fun okay? But not too much fun." He winked at her as he returned the bear hug that his daughter had enveloped him in.

"Yeah, I will. I love you, dad."

"Love you too, pumpkin."

"Oh, all this drama, makes me want in on it. " Martha suddenly said, making Alexis laugh and pull her grandmother into a group hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, gram."

###

Kate sat up in bed clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding after that vivid nightmare. Her breaths were still coming out in short pants and her skin was glistening with sweat.

Kate tried to calm herself down with a cup of water that she kept on her bedside table, along with some of Castle's books. The water spilled onto her hands and dress because she kept trembling, and in the darkness, she was reminded of the blood that was on her hands, HIS blood. The panic rose into her chest and she choked on whatever water she managed to swallow.

After a long bout of coughing, she managed to regain her composure. Her eyes darted to the small alarm clock sitting on the table, and she sighed heavily at the time. 3.25 A.M. Some nap this was, she had overslept and missed dinner too.

She gave a weary sigh and attempted to pull her legs out from under the covers. Her body felt so heavy that all she wanted to do was lie back onto her mattress. However, she could feel the wetness of sheets from her cold sweat under her hands, and that prompted her to summon her energy to push herself off the bed. She would have to remind herself to change the sheets later.

The cold water that she splashed against her face was welcome, but not needed. The nightmare itself had already made her wide awake. She was reliving it, again, and again. The horrifying images kept flashing in her mind, her own hands unconsciously gripping harder onto the sink's edge.

italics: drip drip drip...

The monotonous sound of water dripping made her come to her senses. She glanced down and saw the water dripping onto her slipper clad feet and instinctively reached out to turn the tap off.

"Dammit." she swore softly as she dived her hand into the water-filled sink, to pull the stopper out. As the water started to drain out, Beckett leaned her back against the sink and twirled the ring on her neck aimlessly. She had absent mindedly forgotten to take off her necklace before going to bed in the afternoon. Her stomach growled softly and she placed her palm on her belly. She was starving, since she hadn't eaten for 11 hours.

Kate gracelessly stumbled over to the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open to get some leftovers to heat up. To her surprise, she found a frozen pizza sitting there with a note.

'Lanie called. Thought you might oversleep and miss dinner. So I brought this so you won't have to eat horrible Chinese leftovers. Coffee's on the table. Bon Appetit. -RC.'

At that point, she didn't know if she should thank Lanie or kill her. But for now, she needed to eat. She turned to the takeout coffee cup on her table and smiled to herself as she picked it up and took a sip.

The smile disappeared as fast as it appeared. The coffee was still warm, which meant Rick had been there recently.

###

Haha no cliff hanger this time guys:) well, not a very steep cliff, at least. Okay here's some bad news. I may decide to put all my fics on hiatus for a short time so that I can write more chapters. Because, I haven't had much time lately to write, and I've been feeling horrible for not updating my fics. You guys have been wonderful readers, and I am very grateful to have you encouraging me with all your sweet reviews.

Of course, I'm not stopping my stories and so, please keep me on your alerts, because i'll be back soon with more chapters. Hopefully, I will be able to update more frequently by then, and you guys won't have to wait as long for my chapters. I may be posting a few one shots, in a mean time, if I have the time. I already have a few plot bunnies waiting for me.

I will see you guys soon enough, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) I will be doing the same for Rewind, Remix, Replay. Thanks again for all the awesome reviews!

See you guys in a few weeks (I hope)

All the best with the Castle hiatus:)

~Lianna


	8. Chapter 8 Complicated

Once Broken, Considered Sold-8

Hello! I'm back;) Thanks for leaving me some very sweet reviews after my announcement last chapter. I really appreciate it. I'm glad that at least some readers are enjoying my story:D Anyway, can all of you wait for the next episode of Castle next week? I can barely contain my excitement! The promos were AWESOME! I nearly died when I saw Vera in the blue dress:3 ***starts fangirling again*** Okay, I'll let you guys go and read the chapter now:D I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer- I am tied with Castle for life, but Castle is not tied to me. Even if I put superglue on the string, it comes off -.- oh well:(

Chapter 8- It's Complicated

###

Rick's feet was pounding the pavement as he made his way home again. His insomnia was killing him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Kate's disappointed eyes that were filled with hurt and undisguised pain. What made him feel even worse, was that he was pretty sure that he was undoubtedly the cause of it.

He could not get the phone call that Lanie gave him earlier that day out of his head.

FLASHBACK

"She's still in love with you, you idiot!"

"What? Who? What the heck are you talking about?"

"Kate? Katherine Beckett?The woman who made a mistake and lost you a few months ago. The woman who nearly burst with jealousy when she found out you had a date. The woman who probably wanted to cry when she read that magazine article!"

"That's bull, Lanie."

"If you can't even see that she's hurting because of you, then you're the one that's being bullheaded."

"Is she sick?"

"Yes. She's sick of waiting for you, and watching you with Adrianna."

"She's the one who chea-, broke us."

"And this time, you're the one who is breaking her."

"Lanie, we aren't having this conversation right now."

"Fine. Have it your way. Because when she starves to death because she hasn't eaten in days, you'll regret it."

END FLASHBACK

Well, at least she won't die of an empty stomach.

###

Damn. Rick had gotten into her apartment. She must have been REALLY tired for her not to even notice the door opening and closing.

Out of impulse, she opened the window facing the street and looked out. She knew that by the time she did that, Rick would have been long gone. It was an unusual and yet mesmerizing sight, to see the usually busy street so quiet and still. There was not even some drunk person walking along the road after a late night party, nor a passing car.

She took a deep breath of the cool night air and sighed. In a few hours, the peace and silence would be disrupted by people running for the bus, cars driving to work, and even people walking their dogs. She hadn't minded it in the past, but after experiencing how soothing and calming the street was at night, it gave her a sense of disappointment to know that it wouldn't last.

Her gaze flickered to the table where the magazine lay closed. Although she distinctly remembered it being left open. Her immediate reaction was to open it and flip to the page of the interview, because that would be the only reason Rick knew about the magazine. She found what she was looking for at the bottom of the last page.

There was a drop of moisture, which led her to believe that he had read the article while drinking something, before he left. He had apparently attempted to write a note on it, but changed his mind and erased it at the last minute, based on the hurried eraser marks on the glossy magazine page.

She silently wondered if he still had feelings for her. She had broken his heart, and he had broken hers in a way too. They were a good match, she had to admit, in a very weird way. It wasn't like she could just say "Sorry" and everything would fall back into place again. Only in her dreams, she reminded herself.

Why did she still love him? She had been trying to move on for so long, and just when she finally started dating again, Rick suddenly comes back into her life, and all past efforts of trying to forget him were thrown to the wind.

Life was horribly complicated.

'Well, at least I won't die of an empty stomach. ' She thought, as her gaze wandered to the pizza on her table.

###

Lanie seriously didn't know if she did the right thing. The thought that if Rick gave up on Kate, it would be her fault, made her heart break for her friend. She knew how Kate would react: Shrug it off when anyone other her brought it up, and quietly hold all her feelings to herself until some troubling experience triggers a memory that will make her dam burst.

It would be the same as the first time he left her. It had taken a month before she finally found a sobbing mess of Kate sitting at her doorstep. The only difference from the time before would be that it would be even harder for Kate to bounce back, provided she actually tried this time.

She hadn't been certain of Castle's feelings when they broke up, because they hadn't talked about it. She was completely convinced of them now though. After she accidentally burst and spilled that Beckett still loved him. His response didn't surprised her. In fact, in some ways, Castle was even harder to crack than Beckett.

With Beckett, she would built up walls and shut people out, but once you overcome that, you can see her whole soul. With Castle, however, things get more complicated. He built a castle to keep people from knowing his secrets. He would divert and deflect anyone who brought up sensitive issues, and even if you get past that, it would be a maze trying to even find the secrets because of his numerous passageways. It was all covered up by his humor and wit, simple ditches to fool everyone that work like a charm.

It was all these unsaid things that made their relationship complicated, and almost impossible to predict.

She had called him because the situation that Kate was in, made her so angry with him. He couldn't see how hurt she was when he started dating Adrianna. He didn't see how broken she was when she found out about the drunken mistake she had made, that cost her what she said was 'the best relationship she would ever have'.

He didn't have to spell it out for her. The fact that he didn't want to talk about it with her, meant that there was still hope for her friend. She wondered if he had gone over with food.

She had bluntly exaggerated the starve to death part. She had been with Kate that afternoon, so she couldn't have starved that badly. However, it was enough to make him pause, so knowing him, he would go and check on her. Maybe, if he did, they would talk it out and resolve some things; but that's just her plain imagination. It was way more complicated than that.

Well, at least, knowing Castle, Kate would definitely not die of an empty stomach.

###

Her dad had looked discomforted at the meer mention of his 'other woman' earlier that day. It gave her slight disappointment and slight anticipation. She knew that he'd never completely gotten over the brunette, and this just confirmed her suspicions. On the bright side, there seemed to be a higher chance for them to get back together now that there was a catalyst added to the equation. Somehow, she just knew that either way, her dad would be taken care of. It eased her pain of leaving him again.

Her dad was not as quiet and sneaky as he thought, although she and everyone else gave him ample credit for trying. She could hear him when he tried to muffle the sound of his footfalls by wearing fluffy slippers, when he opened the fridge to get the extra pizza they had ordered by accident, when he tried to unlock the front door without making too much noise, and when he tore out a piece of paper and wrote a note on it.

Alright, maybe not the last one, she had already woken up by then, and so she had been watching him making hurried movements. She already knew who it was for. There was only one person other than her and grams that he would be willing to do that for. Kate Beckett.

She sighed as she watched her father leave the house for the same reason again, and she sincerely hoped that Beckett would somehow convince him that she's still worthy of him. After all, she would rather her father have a third marriage that may not start out with everything they had dreamed of, and last a lifetime because they worked things out; rather than have another marriage that although started out with a lot of things, ended because there were so many things that they could never work with.

Adrianna was great, but she was really work consumed, like Meredith, and would not be around at least half the time. It would be another mistake that would possibly cause her father to give up on marriage entirely.

She stared at the fan slowing turning on her ceiling, her teenaged mind wandering to all the things that were wrong in her life, or spelt trouble. She hasn't had a real mother in like, forever. She has no record of having a grandfather that actually exists. She had been teased and made fun of, when she was younger, for being the daughter of a famous author. Her dad has had two failed marriages, and a string of one night stands. Plus, she would be going away soon, leaving him alone.

However, the happy Alexis, who was taught by her father to always look on the bright side of life, cane back to knock some sense into her. She hadn't had a proper mother figure in her life, but she had a father who did a better job in raising her, than anyone else could. She hadn't met her grandfather, but she had a sweet grandma who took care of her, and brought more drama than anyone could into their lives. She had been teased when she was a kid, but it made her stronger and more confident, allowing her to make close friends in high school. Her father had many failed relationships, but he always shielded her from the blast of it. She would be leaving, but it would also give mmhim ample time to get his life back in order.

She heard the front door shut softly and glanced at the clock. 3.10A.M. Had it really been that long since he left? She creeped out of bed and was about to open the door to go and check on him, when she heard her doorknob turn.

She quickly darted back under her covers, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep. She heard him tiptoe to the chair beside her bed. It had been there since her bed was a crib. He sank down on it, and she could feel his soft gaze on her back. Could he know that she was awake? She just continued to close her eyes and pretend to be asleep, until sleep came and took her itself.

Her last coherent thought was that she was thankful that Kate was probably not going to die of an empty stomach.

###

Okay;) I'm just going to end this chapter here~ KEKEKE. See? I'm not evil. It's not a bad cliffhanger :D It's quite a short chapter, and I apologize again for that. But that means that I will get to writing the next chapter ASAP! Argh... It's been such a stressful week. At least it's reaching the weekend now. With any luck, I may be able to post some chapters before this week is up.

Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope you guys liked it, but if you didn't, I hope you can give me some suggestions to improve my writing and so the next chapter will be even better ;)

See you later,

~Lianna


	9. Chapter 9 Heartbreak

Once Broken, Considered Sold-9

Author's Note: HELLO HELLO EVERYONE:) Nice to see that you guys are still here^^ keke. Thanks so much for sticking with me until now:) it means a lot to have wonderful readers such as you guys, reading my fics. I love writing, and so I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter:) Note that this is going to be one of my last few chapters so...enjoy:D

Disclaimer-I really think that as a proud Castle fan, I should own the show, along with the entire fandom. We would just have Caskett make out and have a lot of drama for the entire series;) hahaha. But that's what Fanfiction is for;)

Chapter 9 Heartbreak

###

It could have been fate, guilt, pure thankfulness, or just her own stupid conscience, but whatever it was, it made Kate Beckett pull herself together, and head over to Castle's house. It was still very early in the morning, and she knew that he would probably still be asleep because it was a Saturday. Therefore, she had time to drink her coffee and contemplate her decision.

She was so nervous that she actually measured her temperature to make sure that she was not sick, for it could compromise the validity of her decision, not to mention her sanity.

Upon finally reaching her destination, as well as pacing back and forth outside her car and trying to decide if she should go through with her plan, Kate Beckett took a deep breath and knocked on his door. The hollow sound of it reflected exactly what she was feeling inside. She waited for anyone to open the door, her heart beat getting faster every minute.

###

Richard Castle was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. He had barely gotten a few hours of sleep when he returned from his night escapade, when he had been rudely awakened by the sound of the consistent knocking against his front door. His first guess was one of those irritating salesmen, that kept on knocking until you buy something.

He had hoped that Alexis would be up and out by then, and she could answer the door, but he had no such luck. She had a late night too; as he knew when he went to check on her the night before, that she had waited up for him. She definitely would not be able to get up and open the door.

Martha had probably gone out for the day, once she figured that both her son and her granddaughter were probably going to be knocked out until at least lunchtime. If he was lucky, she might order take out for him for dinner.

After a while, the knocking subsided. He assumed that whoever it was, had given up and left, and it made him heave a sigh of relief and turn over to go back to sleep.

###

After her dad had come home the night before, or should she say, earlier this morning, Alexis had trouble going to sleep. She knew she would not be able to wake up at her usual early time the next day, which made her relieved to know that it was a Saturday, and she did not have any classes to run to. She was glad that she was on break.

She did, however, have a strange dream in which she was dancing in a night club, and there was this heavy beat of drums that pounded in her ear. She felt like she had been dancing for hours, and her head was spinning, but she couldn't stop herself though, and she just kept moving until she felt like collapsing from exhaustion.

It was then that she woke herself up to splash some water on her face. She thought she was going crazy and hallucinating when she realized that the pounding had not subsided. So, she decided to check the door after getting herself together. By the time she had, the knocking had subsided, and she was too tired to open it, so she decided that she had 'woken herself up' and that was why the pounding stopped.

She rolled over on the bed and decided to let herself sleep for just a few minutes longer. After all, she had to get up and meet her friends soon.

###

Kate couldn't believe her bad luck. Was fate that set out to toy with her? First, she gets drunkenly into bed with the wrong guy, and loses the guy she loves. Next, she just happens to run into Alexis and Rick when she was finally on a date after so long. Then, just when she wants to try and make up, Rick starts dating again. After that, she gets sick and Lanie reveals something to Rick to make him come over while she was knocked out. To top it off, when she finally got the courage to go over there and talk to him, no one was at home.

She slid herself onto the floor, leaning her back against the door and buried her head into her knees and muffled her scream of frustration. She checked her watch and silently waited for the ground to open up and swallow her any moment.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but after a while, the door suddenly moved and she fell backwards. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at an upside down Alexis, who was obviously startled to find someone sitting outside their door. She regained her sense after a second, and immediately apologized and pulled her up.

"Kate! I'm so so sorry! I didn't know anyone was still here! I actually heard you knocking but then I thought you left or that I was imagining things so I went back to sleep! I am SO sorry!" The young girl was babbling and pacing the floor and Kate quickly placed her hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Alexis. It's okay. I found it rather funny, actually." She reassured her, and offered a smile after seeing the young girl's guilt and embarrassment. She didn't notice that the commotion had woken Castle up, and he had come out and now stood behind her.

She only noticed after Alexis excused herself to leave the house, and mumbled something about giving her some 'alone time', that she turned around to see Castle looking at her strangely.

"I want to ask what you are doing here, but I'm afraid I'm not going to want to know the answer." He said quietly. His tone betraying his suspicions of her uncalled appearance.

"Hello Rick."

"It's nice to see you, Beckett." She nearly flinched at his formality. He was distancing himself from her, even though she used his first name. It was obvious that he didn't really want to see or talk to her.

"I uh, wanted to thank you for what you did last night. I would have had to go to bed without food if you didn't come when you did." She tried. It wasn't a great conversation starter, but it was all she could come up with at the time.

"It wasn't a problem. Are you feeling better, detective?" He seemed to relax slightly when he sensed that she wasn't here to grill him about going over uninvited the other night. Kate was glad he did, because it was hard enough to confess her feelings when he was his normal happy self, so encountering him while he was guarded, would be just icing on her cake.

"Yes. Thanks for asking." She replied.

Castle walked over to the living room and motioned for her to take a seat as he went to get some coffee for both of them.

###

"Okay Rick, I don't know how I'm ever going to say this, but, I'm going to try. I still have feelings for you and I want to give us another go." She started. Her voice trembled at first, but she regained her composure and pulled herself together.

"What if I say no?" He asked.

"Then, I'll walk right out that door, and you'll never see me again." She got out. This time, she was surprised at how stable her voice was. When on tbe inside, she was silently begging him not to let her go.

Rick didn't respond to that. He put his coffee mug on the table and looked deep in thought for a while, seriously thinking it through. She had put him through a lot of heartbreak and pain, but whether he still had feelings for her, that is another thing. He seemed to have made up his mind, and got up slowly. He walked over to the front door, opened it, and left the house.

Kate felt like her heart had just been ripped open and trampled on. She had just bared her soul and he had just shut the door, literally, on her. This time, she didn't bother trying to stop herself from crying. He had just left her without even saying anything. Did he not care about her anymore?

She couldn't bring herself to keep her promise to walk out of the house just yet. It was too soon for her to move. She would probably end up getting into an accident if she left now, and considering her state of mind, that might not be such a bad idea. Still, she simply remained on the couch, half sobbing, and half wondering if her heart would ever be able to be repaired again. She heavily doubted so.

###

Not much more chapters to go:) this could be the second last, or maybe the next chapter is the second last. I don't know. I haven't wrote it yet:) You should know that I am writing this on a Saturday, when I could be catching up on my sleep. Zzz. I'm sleepy :) haha.

So please give me some nice reviews to let me know that my effort has not been a waste lol:) If you don't give me one now, i expect one for the final chapter heehee. Love you guys, and I would love to talk more, but I am extremely tired and I am about to collapse now. Okay... Night everyone:)

Until next time,

~Lianna


	10. Chapter 10 New Beginnings

Once Broken, Considered Sold-10 FINAL CHAPTER

A/N: HELLO MY DEAR READERS! Welcome to the last chapter of Once Broken, Considered Sold. It's been a great ride with all of you, and I thank all of you for your amazing support which has helped me improve my skills as an author, and as a person. I hope you enjoy this chapter:)

WARNING: FLUFF AND A HEAVY AMOUNT OF CHEESINESS AHEAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION! ( I'm just kidding, have fun reading this one! )

Disclaimer: Consider this one disclaimed. I'm just having fun poking around with the characters in different situations:D However, if there's an offer to give Castle to me, I would gladly accept;)

Chapter 10 New Beginnings

###

The sound of knocks on the door jerked Adrianna to her senses. After sending in that article, she had felt a strong sense of guilt for invading Rick's privacy, in a way. Although she really liked the guy, it was wrong of her to treat him like one of her flings. He was a good guy, but she knew that he still had a thing for his ex. She didn't want to get in the way of that. The girl owned a gun, after all.

She got up to unlock the door, and found Rick looking at the floor, panting. "Wow. You were THAT eager to see me, huh?" She said, putting on a smile.

He caught his breath and then looked at her in the eye. "Do you love me?" He asked. She was taken aback at his question. "I'm sorry?"

"You know what I meant, Adrianna." Rick said impatiently. He had just ran out on Kate, who had poured out her heart to him. He didn't want to commit himself if he was technically with somebody else. She had probably mistook his intentions, and left by then, but he had to set things straight before running after her again.

"Rick, you're a really great guy. One of the best I've ever met, actually." She started. This was karma, she thought. Life intended to make her pay for stringing along all those men before, and now she had to drop the guy she genuinely liked.

"I'm sensing a but." He interjected, and she put a hand on his mouth to stop any further interruptions.

"I've always known that your heart was not mine to keep." She stated, as if that was the only way she knew how to say it. "So, I think it's best if we...stop seeing each other, while it's still early in our relationship."

She finally released his mouth from her grip, and he gasped for air dramatically, making her laugh. "Are you sure that this is what you want?" He asked.

"I know that this is what you want too, and I want you to be happy with the choices you made." She said, seeing his internal happiness before he could show it.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Adrianna. I am glad that we can part as friends." Rick said. He was more relaxed now that she had responded like that. He thought it would have been much harder to break up with her.

"No problem, Rick. If you anything work related, feel free to call me." She gave him a professional smile as they shook hands amicably.

"I must say, you're taking this much better than my ex wives did." He joked, trying to lighten up the situation. She gave him an answering smile in return. "I'll take that as a compliment, then."

"Well, I guess I'd better be going." Rick said. "I bet you're pretty busy."

"I think you're the one in a hurry, but I'll let you pass this time." She was still just as sharp as ever, Rick thought, as he left her apartment. Like it or not, he was going to miss her in some way. He just hoped that he didn't miss the one girl that had been his target all along.

###

Kate cried until she had no more tears left to cry. She had many flashbacks to the last time he left her, and so the tears came naturally. Emotionally and mentally drained, she continued to lie on Rick's couch. She never thought that she would end up devastated again.

She noticed the two coffee cups that were still sitting on the table. Rick's mug was full, but it had turned cold because he hadn't drank it yet. Hers was still warm, but it was half empty.

She found herself staring at his cup, studying the minute details of it. Like when Rick told her that the small chip on the handle happened because Alexis dropped it while making attempting to make a cup of coffee for her dad when she was seven. She could easily imagine a distraught Alexis, terrified that she had disappointed her father, scrambling to clean up her mess. She was going to miss Alexis. After knowing the family for so long, it was hard to suddenly break away.

Rick saw a soulless Kate, sitting on his couch, and for a second, he thought he was dreaming. She was still there, at his house, sitting on his couch. Of course, she was probably pissed at him and heartbroken, but still, she was there, so he had another chance to make things right with her. It didn't take long for her to notice that he had returned though.

"Oh, you're back." She said flatly, getting up. "I'm sorry, I'll leave now."

He was quick to stop her and blocked her way out. She frowned at him, when he tried to collect his thoughts and refused to let her pass. He knew that he had to say something, and fast, because she could very easily knock him out right then and there.

"What do you want, Rick? Can't we just leave it here? You don't have to say anything more, we already did this once, remember? So, please don't make this harder than it already is." Kate sighed. She could feel her eyes watering up and she didn't want to cry in front of him. She had already acted weak enough in front of him before.

He faltered then, and didn't really know how to say it quickly enough to stop her. So, he just reached out and pulled her against him by tugging on her jacket. His arms immediately encircled her waist, effectively stopping her from leaving. She struggled, but it was a half hearted effort that made it easy for Rick to endure.

She stopped slapping his chest after a while, and went silent in his arms. He only realised she was crying when he felt a slight dampness to his t-shirt. He tightened his grip on her, and she suddenly placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away, hard.

"What's wrong with you?" She shouted at him in between tears. "Why can't you just make things easy? Why do you always make things so hard?" He had no response to that, except to look down guiltily at the floor.

"Rick, will you please answer me?" She asked him. Her voice was no longer trembling, and she had regained her usual stance of half professional, and half cold.

"Love is never easy, but people still fall into it, whether they like it or not. You can't choose who you fall in love with." He started, and waited for her rebuttal, and there was no arguement, so he continued.

"Think about this: A person walks into a store and accidentally knocks over an ornament. He goes up to the cashier and asks for a broom and a dustpan. Instead, the cashier tells him that when you break something, you immediately own it. So, the guy pays for the ornament and sticks it back together at home."

"Aaand your point to this story is?" Kate asked.

"You broke my heart, and so, you automatically own the rights to me anyway. I'm yours to keep, if you still want me, that is." He said.

"Wasn't that last part much easier to say?" Kate asked him. Her eyes were no longer filled with tears, and her face now bore a teasing smile.

"Actually, no. I was expecting you to infer from the story, but..." He trailed off as he made a mock disappointed face.

"You're such a writer sometimes." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"But you love me for it." He shot back. He half expected her to draw back and avoid the statement, but instead, she smiled shyly at him. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Well then, I have to say, I love you too, Kate." He said. He was pleasantly surprised at how well those words rolled off his tongue, when they had been too afraid to even admit they even liked each other, a while ago.

Before he could say anything else, her lips were on his, and everything that he was thinking just flew out of his head. The only thing that mattered was holding the woman he loved in his arms. Forever.

~End~

### EPILOGUE ###

"I still can't believe that I'm going to miss everything!" Alexis whined.

"You won't! If we promise we won't have a wedding until you're back, will you be able to go back to college in peace?" Kate asked, laughing as she hugged the girl whom she had always treated like her daughter, goodbye.

"Yes, but a bigger allowance would be more convincing... It is quite far away after all..." Alexis said sweetly, as she turned to her dad.

"Don't push it, Pumpkin." Her father said as he ruffled her hair, and gave her a big bear hug.

"Aww... Alright. But dad, just remember that if I get pregnant..." She trailed off, gazing at him thoughtfully.

"Here's an extra 20 bucks, take it or leave it." He handed out a few notes to her. She took it with a laugh, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Bye dad! I'll miss you! Bye Kate, take care of my dad for me! And also, I hope to find that you'll be well on your way to being my new step mother by the time I get back!" Alexis said, and she leaned down to take her luggage, before the adults could respond. She grinned as she swiped the strands of hair away from her face, and pulled the luggage out the door.

"So, when were you planning on proposing, Rick?" Kate suddenly asked, making him jump.

"What? Don't let Alexis get to you, seriously! She's a Castle, so she's like me in that way." He said as he looked at the door forlornly. He was going to miss his daughter very much.

"I saw the box, Rick." She said, effectively cutting his escape short.

"How do you even know it's a ring?" Rick asked. They both knew it was a weak arguement, so he sighed in defeat when she gave him a look. "Fine, fine. Geez, you take the fun out of everything."

Her smile of victory was evident on her face, and he couldn't resist the teasing urge to kiss it away. The kiss turned heated fast, and he pulled apart just enough to allow him to say "As for the proposing, you'll just have to wait and see."

"Well then, I hope it isn't too long a wait." She whispered in his ear seductively, as she pulled him towards the bedroom.

###

Okay guys, that's it! I'm proud to finally mark this as complete. I'm really glad for everyone who saw this story through. This was my last on-going Castle fanfiction that had yet to be completed, and now that it has, I may have more time to write more Castle fics:)

I really hope you guys can leave me with a nice review for the end of this chapter, since the last one already... Please? It's been a long week, and I could use some cheering up.:) Again, I wanna thank all of those people who reviewed to this story, and everyone who has ever contributed or read this story. This was one of my favourite stories to write:) So thanks guys:)

Till we meet again,

~Lianna


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